Two SNF PhD-candidate & research assistant positions in Applied Econometrics / Data Science at the Chair of Health Economics, Policy and Management (m/w/d)

23 April 2026
100%
St. Gallen

Job summary

The School of Medicine and Chair of Health Economics were founded in 2020. Join us for innovative research in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment.

Tasks

Conduct cutting-edge research using causal machine learning models.
Collaborate with a strong network of hospitals and universities.
Publish findings in top-tier journals and present at conferences.

Skills

Master's in health economics, econometrics, or data science required.
Strong analytical skills in econometrics and machine learning.
Proficient in programming languages like R or Python.

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About the job

The School of Medicine and the Chair of Health Economics, Policy and Management were founded in 2020 and are the latest stage of the growth path of the University of St.Gallen. We offer the opportunity to conduct innovative research in an international, multidisciplinary team with high leadership involvement and in a dynamic environment. With the research in this project, we will lay the basis for practical applications of causal machine learning models in clinical software, potentially improving the lives of thousands of patients, and alleviating financial pressures for hospitals and health systems.

Your tasks

These two positions are part of the research project “Where Precision Medicine and Operations Management Meet – Learning Optimal Decision Policies in Hospitals” (POM-D-H), funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
The project is led by Dr. Justus Vogel from the School of Medicine (MED-HSG), and Prof. Dr. med. Urs Pietsch from HOCH – Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen.

The project brings together a strong research and clinical network, including the University Hospital Zurich, the University Hospital Bern, the University Hospitals of Geneva, and HOCH – Cantonal Hospital of St.Gallen.

The project lies at the intersection of precision medicine and hospital operations and aims to develop and evaluate data-driven decision policies in hospitals using causal machine learning (CML). By leveraging large-scale clinical data (tens of thousands of patients described by thousands of features), the project seeks to develop CML models that improve patient outcomes while enhancing hospital efficiency and resource allocation.

As PhD-candidates and research assistants, you will:

Refine, answer and test the project's research questions with quantitative, empirical methods using large sets of real-world data

Prepare high-quality manuscripts for publication in top-tier peer-reviewed journals across medicine, operations research, and analytics

Present your research results on international conferences

Support the supervision of bachelor and master theses, and student assistants

Work and communicate effectively within a diverse teams in a structured manner and work directly with the leadership team and doctors

Enroll in a PhD-program of the University of St. Gallen; we highly recommend the GPEF program (Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and Econometrics)

Your profile

We are looking for two highly qualified and motivated candidates:

Outstanding Master's degree in the field of (health) economics or econometrics, statistics, Machine Learning, data science, or operations research with a clear quantitative and mathematical focus with a grade point average of at least 5.0 or the equivalent for non-Swiss degrees (corresponds for instance to a 2.0 in DE and AT)

Experience in handling large datasets is required

Strong analytical skills are required (e.g., microeconomics, applied econometrics, causal inference, data science, machine learning, mixed-integer programming, etc.)

You show initiative and drive your research topics independently and with high motivation

Advanced knowledge of at least one programming language (R or python)

High motivation to improve econometric and data science skillset

Outstanding teamwork ability

Result-oriented working style with a high degree of initiative, creativity, and team spirit

High motivation and ability to work on multiple research questions at the same time

Confident, open, constructive, and engaging communication style internally and externally

Knowledge about European or other health systems is a plus but not required

Experience in hospital management is a plus but not required

Very good knowledge of English, both written and spoken; fluent in German and/ or French is a plus

"A place where knowledge is created" - As one of Europe's leading universities of economics and business administration, the University of St.Gallen (HSG), Switzerland, is committed to the education of over 10'000 students. The HSG is one of the largest employers in the region and provides an attractive and innovative environment for more than 3'500 researchers, educators and professional staff.